Tom Marvolo Riddle: The Man, the Myth, the Legend

“Tall, thin, and black-hooded, his terrible snakelike face white and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring…” (Rowling, OOTP 812).

It is difficult to contain Lord Voldemort  in a blog post. His importance in the Harry Potter series is extreme. So, to highlight his major points…

Voldemort’s mother, Merope Gaunt, was the crosseyed and impoverished daughter of Marvolo Gaunt. Marvolo, Merope, and her brother Morfin lived in a small cottage, dirty and desolate, on the Riddle family’s land. Marvolo prided himself in his pure blood ancestry, which traced back to Salazar Slytherin, as well as the Selwyn family. Morfin chose to speak solely in parseltongue. Muggles were pure filth, and magic was used even in the simplest ways, just because they could.

Hogwarts House and the Death Eater Movement: Why so many Slytherins?

“Well, well, looks like we really ‘ave caught a little Slytherin,” said Scabior. “Good for you, Vernon, ‘cause there ain’t a lot of Mudblood Slytherins…” (Rowling, DH 450).

Blood Status vs. Socioeconomic Class Within Harry Potter

“‘The pure-blood families are all interrelated,’ said Sirius. ‘If you’re only going to let your sons and daughters marry purebloods your choice is very limited, there are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur’s something like my second cousin once removed. But there’s no point looking for them on here – if ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors it’s the Weasleys’” (Rowling, OOTP 113).

Who/What/When/Where/Why/How: Death Eater Membership

“‘In the old days he had huge numbers at his command; witches and wizards he’d bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures…” (Rowling, OOTP 93).

Many of Voldemort’s earliest followers joined based on their own bigotry; the racist ideology of the purebloods far pre-existed his influence. The Lestranges and the Malfoys just found a concentration for their beliefs, and became two of the most involved families. Voldemort also tended to rely on the “fringe” society members with power, like giants or werewolves (Fernir Greyback), and also sought support from impressionable, young witches and wizards searching for a purpose. His charisma, leadership, and unifying tactics allowed him to manipulate membership from these groups especially.

Who are the Death Eaters?

“‘You ask where I was when the Dark Lord fell. I was where he had ordered me to be, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, because he wished me to spy upon Albus Dumbledore. You know, I presume, that it was on the Dark Lord’s orders that I took up the post?” (Rowling, HBP 26).

The professions chosen by the Death Eaters–their “unmasked lives”–are vital to their success and their support for Voldemort. Many of them seek positions of power which will allow them to manipulate masses of people.

How the Death Eaters Operate

“… And Harry too looked ahead at the skull, and fear swelled inside him like a venomous bubble, compressing his lungs, driving all other discomfort from his mind….” (Rowling, HBP 582).

Death Eater Prevalence

“Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods, a dozen lit wand-tips were pointing directly at their hearts” (Rowling, OOTP 781).

Historical Context: Ministry Infiltration, Government Control

“’What?” snapped Umbridge, glancing down. ‘Oh yes– an old family heirloom,’ she said, patting the locket lying on her large bosom. ‘The S stands for Selwyn…. I am related to the Selwyns… Indeed, there are few pure-blood families to whom I am not related…. A pity,’ she continued in a louder voice, flicking through Mrs. Cattermore’s questionnaire, ‘that the same cannot be said for you’” (Rowling, DH 261).

Above all, Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters value blood purity. They follow a “master race” concept similar to the one detailed by the Nazis. The “ideal” is found far back in history, and fantastical stories about Salazar Slytherin–like the Nazi party, Voldemort and his Death Eaters only provided an outlet for pre-existing racist concepts. Anyone that didn’t fit their ideal standards were to be eliminated. To quote Voldemort’s address to Bellatrix, “And in your family, so in the world… we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remains….” (Rowling, DH 11). A basis for the use of terminology like “infects” and “mudblood” can be found in the Nazi party’s methods, as well; Jews were often referred to as a “cancer” that the master race needed to be cleansed of.